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O Lord, the Desert!

O Lord, the desert — lonely place
where man comes face to face with Satan,
where solitude hears selfish thoughts,
where suffering purges the soul of dross —

The desert was not my choice, O God!
Here was I driven — hunger to feel,
my need in spirit to know and conquer,
ambition for power and fame to surrender.

What dangers lurk in dark and light,
the desert where fate and harm befalls!
Amongst the beasts and stones and heights,
O Sovereign, teach me unfailing trust!

In this wild, untamed, unruly land,
where the strong survive, and perish the weak,
to you, O Master, I give control
and offer my heart to bend and mold.

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A Strong Tower

Proverbs 18.10, 12

Your name, O Lord, to us is a strong tower,
In you we find protection, peace, and power.
The righteous run to you to be secure.
When danger falls, of you we can be sure.

The present world is full of hateful harm,
Rise up, O God, to save us by your arm;
Our honor is to know our humble need,
The Christ as Lord and Savior is our creed.

The vicious hordes of sin would hunt us down,
The flood of willful evil would make us drown.
By our own strength we cannot win this war.
We cry, O Lord — open the Kingdom’s door!

Read the book, Choose! 13 Choices to Transform Your Heart and Soul.

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The Storm

He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Jonah 1.9.

Behind the storm hides your hand,
O sovereign God o’er sky and land,
The waves toss high, the winds blow hard,
For man the depths have no regard —
But you, O Lord, you look to save,
And snatch the soul from Satan’s grave.

Above the storm in heaven you reign,
O God, invisible, present in pain,
From you to Tarsis’ shores we flee,
When with your mercy we disagree.
But you, the God of second chance,
Are God of heaven’s wide expanse.

Within the storm the pagans tremble,
In ignorant worship they assemble,
But you, O God, would have them know
To whom all praise and thanks we owe.
Then cast us over — make this storm cease,
So wills and souls may be at peace.

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Open to Me, Father

Open to me, Father, the pages of Scripture,
Show me your Self, your works of wonders,
What you hate, what you practice,
What you love, all your commandments,
Purpose of heart, and ways of wisdom.

Open, Lord, your mind of reason,
Show me the sense of this world’s workings,
How you bless, all things providing
To your holy and chosen people,
Born from above, obedient children.

Open, O God, the doors of service,
Bringing the lost into the Kingdom,
Saving souls for heaven forever,
Joy among the ministering angels,
Basking in your eternal glory.

Prayer is a choice. Make other good choices. Read Choose! 13 Choices to Transform Your Heart and Soul.

Please share this prayer with others, if it encouraged you.

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As Time Speeds Up

As time speeds up, the mind and body slow,
But hope we may that flowers of wisdom grow,
That roots of strength and peace may penetrate,
To right the tree of life in winds of fate.

Let seasons, dry or rainy, bear their fruits,
To praise the unchanging God of Absolutes,
And, in the final day, in spite of wrongs,
Receive me, Lord, to sing eternal songs.

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Never Make Light

Holy Father, may I never make light
of the faith given me by parents
and pious men and women in the church.

Help me to respect their commitment
to doing your will in every way,
in spite of — or because of — their faults.

Keep me from judgments, for I, too,
err and fail in many ways,
which my children and descendants will see.

May they judge me by my good intentions,
and my desire, like those before me,
to walk in the light, as Jesus did.

Remove from me the critical spirit,
the caustic jokes, demeaning humor —
In me breathe thanks for earnest faith.

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Your Gentle Breeze

Come to me a word, O Lord,
a word of faith and love and power,
to lift me up and place me high
upon a safe and solid place.

You see my zeal for You, O Lord,
as God who leads the hosts of heavens —
your hunted servant nearly dead,
among a people who spurn your Name.

They turned their backs upon the covenant,
refused to obey, and served false gods;
Their worship’s vain, by man’s traditions,
they seek to silence and maim your servants. Continue reading “Your Gentle Breeze”

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This Life of Contradictions

This life of contradictions, full
of nonsense, fallacious reasons — charged,
impassioned pleas — hard, stubborn will —
a soul by pain and suffering forged.

Like Earth with lava at its core —
volcanoes rise, the ground quakes —
within the soul boil fear and ire,
abruptly and often, the surface cracks.

In Heaven is calm, the city of peace —
no siren’s scream, no surging sea —
O Lord! Above, where passions cease,
— prepare a place for me.